Damien Hirst (1965 - ) Exhibition visited Summer 201

Damien Hirst is British and is based in North Devon. He is one of the most well known artists of our century. He is also an art collector. Hirst is one of the leaders of the Young British Artists movement which include artists such as Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, Fiona Rae, Jenny Saville , Marcus Harvey and Anya Gallaccio.

Hirsts key themes in his exhibition ‘Artist rooms’ at Walsall Art Gallery included life, death, religion and belief. Hirst tries to challenge the viewer with facing them with subjects such as the lamb ‘Away from the flock’ made in 1994. This piece is connected to the theme life and death; the lamb is significant as it is not disturbing there is nothing horrific to look at. However it is shocking because it looks so real as if it was just alive and could walk out of the case. 

 Seeing them preserved in containers as if they are part of a science experiment.

One of the pieces I found most intriguing was ‘Trinity- Pharmacology, Physiology, Pathology’ made in 2000. Seeing the anatomy of our body and how it works was visually exceptional.  It was overwhelming to see all of it in one go as there was so much to view. Here is the piece I saw in the Walsall art gallery. The three cabinets represented the different aspects of study into science such as the use and effects of drugs, dealing with living organisms, as well as the development of diseases.

The title “Trinity” echoes the reference to the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in the Christian Faith.  Also, what was interesting about this piece was how it was presented in three cabinets. This was based on the triptych idea, which is used for altarpieces to help people worship.

1422 St. Juvenal Triptych - Masaccio

In Damien Hirst’s exhibition there was also the theme of beauty with death, the thought of preservation. Everything was presented carefully in museum cases, which made it accessible to look at everything in your own time.

Another piece was called “Forms without life, 1991”. All of Hirst’ work seem to have a sense of order everything has a place.

 In this room the cabinet of shells was surrounded by still life paintings by famous painters. When you see the room the shells stand out as they are yet another preservation. Hirst reminds you in the program that once these held creatures of life.  Seeing them in a museum case being preserved is remarkable to see. The different forms catch your attention.

The presentation also reminded me of collector specimen boxes an example of a Victorian one below.

                                    

In this theme of beauty and death Hirst also shows “Monument to the Living and the dead” which was made in 2006.  A quote from Damien Hirst that I found to be true as it is what I feel about this piece also is he first said he thinks of the butterflies as happy, bright and optimistic. But then “I think oh my God, it’s insects trapped in paint.” When I see the butterflies in the gallery I really enjoy looking at the colours, patterns and shapes. How they are all individual but then you do realize that they are trapped or even you could argue they are being preserved like many of his other pieces.

His preserved pieces remind me of Anya Gallaccio’s  “Preserve beauty”

In the press there has been conflict to decide whether or not what Damien Hirst creates can be classed as artwork.

Julian Spalding has said “Worthless as a work of art. He’s not an artist he shouldn’t be in the tate. He’s not an artist and therefore his work is worthless artistically and therefore it has to be worthless financially because people are only spending money on Damien Hirst because they think it’s a work of art and if it isn’t then they are wasting their money.”

The big question was asked to Nancy Durrant – is it art? “ Yes I think that it is I think that anything that deals with questions of the human condition and makes me respond in away to questions of life and death and all of those important things. I think it’s a work of art. Whether you think it’s a good work of art is an entirely different matter. “

These two arguments are ones that I can both agree with. I can see where they are coming from as if he did not do anything to the objects he is putting into the gallery’s you would argue that he just put it there and did nothing. He did not make the artwork. But then you could argue with that and say but it was his idea/ concept to put it into the gallery no one else would have thought of the idea or be bold enough to do it to get a reaction, which is what he wanted.